About Linda Miles

Linda Miles is a Doctor of Kitty Catology at The Institute For Kitty Cat Research where she serves as Director of Input and where her spouse, Rick, serves as Director of Output for their six study subjects. She is the co-author with Betty WIlson of the definitive field guide Kitty Cat Positions Home & Afield.
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Our elderly study subject Rebecca doesn’t play much anymore. The Director’s wondered if she would at least appreciate a few new stuffed toys. Would she ignore them or snuggle up to them? So, we gradually added some stuffed animals to her favorite napping chair.

Rebecca snuggles up to her new lion

She immediately examined her first new toy after we placed it on her chair and settled in next to it. So far, so good. We placed more toys on her chair the next day.

Results:

The test results indicate that older cats can bond to new as well as old stuffed toys. Amazing discovery.

The Directors of the Institute should have told you earlier about the demise of Little Fishy and Big Fishy, but each time we tried, we choked up and tears blocked our vision. Sigh.

Little Fishy passed away January 14, 2017. He was only half grown. We don’t know why he passed. He was fine the day before. On March 19, Big Fishy also swam under the Rainbow Bridge. He lived for over nine years, far longer than most goldfish. Since we understood that goldfish can live for up to 30 years, we expected he would live a long time. So we provided for him in our will. He died of dropsy, a common and difficult to treat ailment in goldfish.Perhaps, he also missed Little Fishy.

Zippy adored Big Fishy as you have read in this blog. After Big Fishy passed, Zippy seemed despondent and went up and down the sofa beside the aquarium looking for him. As her depression increased she began to sleep a lot. The other cats didn’t give a cat’s meow that Big Fishy was missing, but Zippy required lots of neck massages to lessen the pain of losing her companion.

We wanted to give Big Fishy the same proper burial that we gave Little Fishy—we carefully buried him in the garden near three kitties who passed before the Institute was founded. Now those beloved kitties can “swim with the fishies.”

The Directors at the Institute noticed that Big Fishy seemed lonely in his big aquatic mansion. We decided to get a companion for him. Little Fishy has doubled in size since we acquired him last spring. That’s good because at first, we were afraid Big Fishy would have the little speckled goldfish for dinner. But we eyeballed Big Fishy’s mouth and figured it was too small for the new fish. So, we plopped Little Fishy into the spa and he (or she) remained uneaten.

Both fishies like to circle their home side-by-side. Perhaps this is why Big Fishy has gained so much weight—he is content with his young companion.

The feline study subjects at the Institute now commune, often nose-to-nose, with both fishies.

The subjects at the Institute spend hours watching their favorite buddy Big Fishy who is now over 10 inches long. We have noticed that the big, golden boy is getting rotund after 9 years of dining on premium fish food twice a day. The directors have decided to limit feeding to just once a day.

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The directors at the Institute often find paper towels unrolled on the counters. The hard-working study subjects have become quite skilled at creating neat piles of layered paper towels. But they have discovered a new use for the rolls—while stocking a picnic bin with paper plates, plastic forks, and other items, the directors neglected to replace the lid and the next morning observed that the study subjects had discovered a new scratch pad.

The Director of Input used the new, used scratch pad to mop the kitchen floor.

At the Institute the directors have noticed there is a pecking order. The subjects sometimes have trouble with their interpersonal relationships. Velvet is at the top of the pecking order and often instigates fusses with all the subjects of the Institute, even with her play buddy Socks. Zippy is next in the pecking order in that she often chases Rebecca and Citikitty, but she never gets into a real cat fight any subjects.

Trouble brewing in the hallway as Velvet paws at Socks.

Poor Citikitty, the youngest at the Institute and the lowest on the pecking order, has mapped out hidey holes where she can get away from bully Velvet and irritant Zippy.

Citikitty hiding from her nemesis, Velvet.

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The directors at the Institute have noticed that the study subjects have formidable built-in weapons, some more impressive than others. Here Zippy displays her lovely claws which she uses to knead her favorite blankie. She has never clawed either the Director of Input nor the Director of Output in our passions of petting. We can’t say the same about lap kitty Velvet who will not allow us to touch her belly or her paws.

Zippy uses her impressive sharpies only for kneading her blankie.

Here’s the tattoo Velvet administered when the Director of Input absent-mindedly touched the sacred belly.

Velvet’s response to an accidental belly touch. Looks bad but was superficial.

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The Director of Input purchased a greeting card with a chip that sang a Christmas ditty. She hypothesized that the study subjects at the Institute would pay no attention to the card. She opened it in the Institute office and this video documents the results of the experiment:

Test results: Velvet attacked the card in a frenzy of vicious activity which proves that kitty cats do respond to meows from cards. In fact, the director sustained massive injuries while rescuing the card from flying claws. Actually, she hardly felt the scratches which look ghastly but are healing quickly. But feel free to send a get-well card to the Institute with a nice donation tucked inside for medical expenses.

Zippy is best friends with Big Fishy. They are often observed communicating in the evening.

Zippy is intensely interested in Big Fishy who always swims to where she is perched. I will try to get a picture of them “kissing” for you but this time it happened before I was ready.

Here is the scene from the other side of the aquarium. Eight-year-old Big Fishy is nearly 10 inches long! We at the Institute expect him to live a full forty years and entertain a series of study subjects such as Zippy.